Hollow Knight: Cursed Dreams
by Admiral Gamington
Summary: A nobody of a scavenger is given a quest by an old queen to save her kingdom; Hallownest. A land cursed with abandoned towns, grey monarchs, and corrupted dreams.
1. Chapter 1: The Old Queen's Request

_We saw the Queen's rise and fall, shameful and tragic,_

_We heard the Wyrm's sacrifice, the act righteous, but eventually forgotten,_

_We felt the rise of the Monarchs, a shift in Hallownest's precious tranquility,_

_We tasted the Monarchs' corruption, flavorless, yet deceivingly warm and welcoming,_

_We smell our kingdom's dying corpse, rotting from the inside out, waiting for a savior that may never truly come,_

_And yet we wait. Wait for the clock of history to strike 12 once again."_

_-From "Citizen's Lament" by Sinclair The Poet_

**_Chapter 1: The Old Queen's Request_**

Barthal knew he was dreaming. How could he not? Minutes earlier he had been sitting in front of the campfire he had set up on the border of the kingdom of Synghigh, now he was walking along some mountain trail and… was the path glowing?

Looking to his left, he saw strange formations in the rocks that resembled dream catchers. Each step he took made a loud echoing sound, which seemed to echo in his head. "This is peculiar", Barthal thought, running his claw along the side of the mountain, feeling the rock formations as he walked.

When he reached the top of the mountain, he saw a giant moth, sitting, slumped, on top of a crumbling stone throne. As he stepped closer to the moth, it sat upright, and he heard a faint, but echoing voice come from the giant moth. "I have been waiting for you, little one".

"Excuse me?", Barthal asked. "Well, I have spent years traveling across the Dream Realm, searching through the minds of random bugs to find one bug that I deem worthy enough to save my kingdom", the moth said. "Wait, you search through the minds of bugs? Isn't that incredibly rude and inappropriate?" Barthal asked, pointing accusedly at the moth. The moth looked off in the distance for a moment with a thoughtful look in their eyes, before looking down at Barthal again and saying "Yes, I suppose it is", in a brushing-off tone of voice. Barthal could tell that the moth wasn't going to show any kind of guilt for their actions, so he changed the subject. "Fine then. You mentioned a kingdom? Care to elaborate? The moth smiled. "Yes. You see, I used to be the Queen of a once beautiful underground kingdom. That is… until I got too carried away, causing me to become trapped in this Dream Realm and my beautiful kingdom to become corrupted", she said. "Hmm", Barthal said, crossing his arms "Sad story and all, but what does this have to do with me?". The moth looked at him with a slightly annoyed look in her eyes before saying "Well, isn't it obvious? I want you to save my kingdom", the moth said, standing up out of the throne and walking towards the edge of the mountain, motioning for Barthal to follow her.

Once Barthal was at her side, the moth turned her gaze toward the edge of the mountain. That was when platforms shaped like dream catchers appeared in front of them, leading off into the horizon. "Come along now", the moth said, as she started walking along the path. Barthal followed her.

The path ended at a floating stone platform that was covered in moss. At the center of the platform was a statue of another moth with some glowing object floating in front of it. "What is it?", Barthal asked, awed by the glowing object. "It is the one thing that you will need for your journey", the moth replied. "The Dream Nail". But I thought your kind were pacifists", Barthal said, recalling something he had read when he was much younger. "Yes. For the Dream Nail is not for combat. It can tap into the thoughts of any individual, or even enter the mind of someone who is directly connecting with the Dream Realm", the moth explained. This time not bothering to point out how senseless this was, Barthal walked up to the Dream Nail and slowly reached out his claw for it, and as he grabbed it, he was enveloped in a swirl of white, dotted with dream catchers. He then heard the moth say "Go Southwest! Save my kingdom! Save Hallownest!", then the sound of rushing wind filled his tympanals".

Barthal opened his eyes. He was back at his campsite on the border of Synghigh. "Was any of that real?", Barthal thought to himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His question was answered when he saw a dream catcher symbol on his top-right arm beneath his claw. Intrigued, he touched the symbol. Barthal felt a strange tingling feeling spread from the symbol to his claw, and an edged, gleaming, white nail appeared in his hand with a hilt resembling a dream catcher. Barthal jumped slightly with surprise, which caused the blade to disappear. Barthal quickly recovered from his initial shock and stared at the symbol with awe.

It was a minute for two before Barthal remembered what the Dream Nail had been given to him for, but when he did remember, he was at first reluctant to risk his life for a kingdom he had never been to before, and he had never been one to lend a helping hand to someone for free. But, strangely, he felt something that he had rarely felt in the past. Obligation. So, grudgingly packing up his campsite and taking a quick look at his compass, Barthal started walking southwest towards the kingdom of Hallownest.


	2. Chap 2: Journey to the Corrupted Kingdom

**Chapter 2: Journey to the Corrupted Kingdom**

After 2 weeks of walking, Barthal found himself at the mouth of a deep valley. The wind blew at the back of his shell, urging him to continue walking. "The wind too seeks this kingdom, then. How curious", Barthal thought to himself, looking into the valley with a sudden sense of foreboding. Barthal inhaled deeply and strode into the valley.

Every flat surface that lined the rocky sides of the valley was covered in sand, and the wind blew that same off and placed new sand. All around him Barthal heard the scattering of simpler minded creatures. Barthal crouched down, with difficulty due to his bag holding his whole campsite, to watch a line of them walk from one hole in the ground to another. As he did this, he could faintly hear smacking and gnawing sounds somewhere on the path ahead.

Curious, Barthal continued forward, only for an absolutely disgusting smell to hit him moments later. In front of him was the body of a large bug being ripped apart and devoured by large, sharp-toothed, simple minded creatures. Next to the body was a pile of torn-up clothes and a large pack. Barthal's eyes locked onto the pack for a moment. Slowly and quietly so as to not disturb the creatures, Barthal slipped out of his pack's straps and unsheathed his weapon; a beautiful channeled nail that had been passed down in his family for generations. And although the tip of the nail was worn slightly, it was still quite deadly. Barthal slowly walked up to the creatures, who were still too absorbed in their feasting to notice, and sliced the head off of two of the creatures that were closest to him. The two remaining creatures turned and screeched at Barthal before charging at him, their rows of sharp teeth dripping and glistening with drool.

Barthal ducked and slid underneath one of the creatures as it jumped at him, slicing it in two as he passed. The other one ran at him, making gasping and gurgling noises. Barthal easily dodged and sliced it's head off. Barthal watched the bodies wriggle until it didn't move any longer, then wiped his nail with some of the material from the pile of clothes, sheathed his weapon, and rummaged through the pack. "Ah. I could use these for soup", Barthal thought as he pulled a bag of small, dried, simple creatures and various spices out of the pack. He also found other articles of clothing, much too big for him, of course, Tupperware and cooking utensils, and a sort of journal made out of leather and spider silk. Barthal didn't bother reading for more than a few pages, but from the pages he read he learned that this bug's name is Boon, and that their language skills were some of the worst Barthal had ever seen. Barthal cringed at the grammar error-heavy pages for a bit before tossing the book aside. Feeling satisfied with the things he had collected from the pack, he put the items in his bag, slid the bag back on his back and walked on.

Barthal finally stopped to rest in a cave, ceiling covered with glittering lumaflies and a strange, leafless tree in the center. There he unpacked the soup supplies and cooking utensils, set up a fire, and made himself a bowl of soup with the dried creatures. "Ah. I scarcely remember the last time I ate", Barthal thought to himself as he lied down on the stone floor underneath the tree, satisfied with the meal, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Barthal was walking along an invisible path. All around him was nothing but a black void with no way of discerning which way was which. Suddenly, he was in front of a clear wall made out of strange vine-like substance. On the other side of the wall were thousands of shadowy figures with glowing dream catchers for eyes and dislocated jaws, leaving their mouths hanging open. They were all pushing and shoving and crawling over each other to get to the wall, and the ones who WERE at the wall were violently banging and smashing their claws at the wall, as if trying to break it down, and through the wall Barthal faint screaming coming from the figures. Disturbed, Barthal looked left and right, following the wall with his eyes. On his left, the wall went as far as he could see. On his right, however, in the distance, he could see something glowing a distance away, so he started walking toward it. Once he got closer, he saw that the glowing beacon was a figure and the wall was sprouting from them. The figure was mostly light grey robes and long, white hair reaching as far as their robes. In front of them, they held a long, cracked, nail close to their chest, and the figure shook (or flinched?) whenever one of the shadowy figures hit the wall.

After watching the figure for a while, Barthal decided to try and interact with the figure. "Um… Hello?", Barthal said to the figure. In response, the figure bowed their head to look at him, seemingly noticing him for the first time, but as they did so, the figure's glow started to fade and cracks started appearing in the wall. The figure quickly straightened back up, turning their attention away from Barthal, their glow brightening again and the cracks in the wall disappearing. Then, faintly, Barthal heard the figure say "Ah… Wai does Le'mer stand before che'? Doth Le'mer not know of che's responsibility?". Barthal stared at the figure, taken aback slightly by the figure's strange accent. But he quickly regained himself and asked "Excuse me? What re-", before the figure cut him off, saying "Nngh… Nahlo! Nahlo! Le'mer must cease. Che' must keep the Hunting inside the Kingdom. Che' must keep che''s concentration". Barthal said "What're-", "Does Le'mer wish to enter? Is that what Le'mer wishes? Fine. Go. Go. Leave che'. Leave!", the figure shouted at him, writhing in place. Then a rectangular object appeared in front of Barthal. He stared at it for a second before reaching his claw out and grabbing it. After taking it, there was a blinding flash of white light. When he awoke, he had no memory of the wall, the shadowy figures, or the glowing figure.

Barthal opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked around the now dark cave. "Curious. Where did all of the lumaflies go?", Barthal wondered to himself as he got up, slipped his bag back onto his shoulders and turned in a 180 degree circle in order to get a feel of his surroundings. It was when he did this he realized that a new tunnel had appeared in the cave. One that hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep. Intrigued, Barthal started walking down the tunnel. While walking through the dark, damp, corridor, Barthal felt the stale air blowing into the tunnel.

Barthal emerged from the tunnel into another valley, much wider than the last. The rushing, sandy winds blurred Barthal's ability to see far up the valley, so Barthal walked blindly on, hoping for the best. Eventually, the valley opened up, leaving Barthal in a giant sand- covered plane. But Bartal kept walking forward, so as to not get lost. Eventually, Barthal started seeing jagged rocks protruding out of the sand and the occasional statue (or a body?) of a large bug. Barthal took the lifeless figures as a sign that he was nearing his journey's end, and his suspicions were confirmed when he reached the side of a large cliff. While climbing, Barthal passed multiple simple minded creatures that, although mostly docile, attacking him only if he got too close, he did notice that the creatures had completely purple eyes (which had… a slightly milky look?), the likes of which he had never seen before. Eventually, throwing his bag up and climbing up after it, Barthal reached the top of the cliffs. Here he saw a clear path, illuminated by lumafly-filled streetlamps. "The path is clear", Barthal thought to himself. "The kingdom awaits".


	3. Chapter 3: The Ghost Town, Watched

**Chapter 3: The Ghost Town, Watched**

With a final stab from his nail, the great stone door crumbled and burst inwards, sending chunks of rock into the space beyond. With a satisfied exhalation of breath, Barthal checked the tip of his nail for damages, and, seeing none, sheathed his weapon and walked through the now open door frame. At first glance, Barthal could see nothing but fog, but looking straight down, he noticed a path illuminated by streetlamps. Scaling down to the road, Barthal took note of the chunks of a now broken staircase littering the ground. "Huh. That would've been helpful", Barthal said to himself with a sigh.

As Barthal walked, he could start to see a small town at the end of the streetlamp-lit path. Intrigued and desperate for a place to set down his bag, Barthal picked up the pace. To his surprise, he found the town deserted. At the town's entrance, there stood an old, moss-covered sign that read "Dirtmouth". "Huh. So this town was called 'Dirtmouth'", Barthal thought to himself. Walking to the center of the abandoned town, he found a metal bench, which he gladly sat down on. Letting out a relieved sigh, he slipped out of his bag's straps and set it on the bench beside him. He closed his eyes and turned his face skyward, letting the crisp, cool wind blow against the front of his shell. When Barthal opened his eyes, he realized that the fog that blurred the sky before stopped at the town's border, letting him see a strange, grey, faintly glowing tower high up on a cliff overlooking the town. "Huh. How strange to see a grey tower glow a shade of purple", Barthal said to himself.

Taking time to look around the town, he saw an old well on the outskirts. Leaving his bag on the bench, he walked over to the well, hoping to get a drink of water. But when he got to the well, he realized that it wasn't a well at all, but a pit leading to some underground cavern. A mixed sense of disappointment and intrigue hit him. He wanted to go right away, but didn't want to just leave his bag where any bug could take it. So he picked his bag up and started to wander around the town, checking if any of the houses' doors were unlocked. The third doorknob he tried turned completely. Relieved, Barthal entered the house.

Surprisingly, the house was full of furniture and decoration, provided, all of it was covered in dust. A large bookshelf covered the entire left wall, the bookshelf full of books. The right wall had a medium sized bed with a bedside table next to it. On the table stood an empty glass cup and a book. Barthal walked over to the table, dropping his bag on the bed, and picked up the book. It was a copy of "A Tale of Wyrms" by M. S. Clemmer. Setting the book back, Barthal looked towards the wall parallel to the door. There was a wooden writing desk sitting in front of a window, which was seeping light into the abandoned house. Sitting on top of the desk was a book, a bottle of ink, and a quill. Barthal walked closer to look at the cover. It read: "A Field Guide of Hallownest by Amy Linsamouth". Barthal opened the book, only to find hundreds of blank pages. Judging by the empty pages, ink, and quill, Barthal assumed that the book was homemade. "So this house's owner was an 'Amy Linsamouth'", Barthal said. "Might as well make use of it", he added, taking the book, ink, and quill. Taking one last sweep of the house, Barthal noticed a much smaller pack hanging on the desk chair. Realizing how much he needed it, he took it, placed the book, quill, and ink in the pack, slipped it over his top shoulders, and headed towards the door. He stopped for a second to grab the key hanging on a hook next to the door, assuming it was the house key, and walked out the door.

He closed the door behind him, placed the key in the lock, and turned it. Of course, it turned, successfully locking the door. He put the key into his pack and walked to the well. Barthal stared down the well for quite some, preparing himself for anything he might find down there. He looked at the slightly glowing dream-catcher symbol on his arm and was given a sense of determination. "Well… here goes nothing", Barthal said, before jumping down into the pit.

_Far above the town, a prince sits upon his throne of melded nails. He loudly sighs and looks to his left where there sits a second, much smaller throne. It's empty. He turns to one of the two knights at the thrones' sides. The shorter, but beefier one of the pair. "Blunt, where is my maiden", the prince asked. "She is in her lab, I assume, my prince", the knight said, in a gruff, booming voice. "I wonder what she works on in there sometimes, my fair maiden", the price said to no one in particular. Just then, a bug walked through the giant front door into the throne room. Another of his great knights, clad in their long grey cloak, their _horned _shell shining in the moonlight. "My prince", they said, bowing before him, their needle touching the floor. _

"_Ah, my Silk Knight. What a surprise. We don't see you here often. What brings you here?", the prince asked the bug. "I'm sorry, my prince, but I cannot stay. I just came to tell you that a bug with four arms, a brown travelling cloak, and a small pack has just jumped down the town's well to the caverns below. A __new_ _one", the knight said to the prince. "Hmm. I appreciate you informing me, but why is this relevant? They will just be taken like the rest down there," the prince said, making a brushing motion with his hand afterward. "Yes yes, of course, my prince", the knight said, bowing again. "But might I remind you what the last bug who came here attempted to do?". The prince contemplated the knight's words. They troubled him somewhat. The last bug to come to Hollownest had failed in their goal, of course, but they hadn't been found, and the prince and maiden agreed that they couldn't sense him in the glow, meaning that the bug still had his mind to himself. The prince shook these thoughts away. "You're right, my knight. Although this does not worry me, I still wish to take measures. I will tell the glow to be on the lookout for this bug. You may go". "Thank you, my prince", the knight said, bowing and walking towards the throne room door, before the prince stopped her again. "One more moment, my knight". "Yes, my prince?", the knight asked, turning around to face the monarch. "I believe you are aware of the Blue Child, and how they've eluded their sentence for so long? Well we've finally located their Repose. I was going to send one of the other knights, but with you here and your past… encounters with the Blue Child, I feel like it would be the most fitting for you to do the honors of cutting them down. I'm giving you the authority to take the strike right where they stand. A public execution will not be necessary. The knight's eyes lit up with excitement, but didn't show it when responding; "Of course, my prince. It would be an honor". "Good. That is all. You may go", the prince said, motioning for her to leave. The knight bowed once again before leaving the throne room, the great door slamming shut behind her. _


	4. Chapter 4: The Protector of the Beyond

**_Chapter 4: The Protector of the Beyond_**

With a loud slam, Barthal landed at the bottom of the pit. Getting up and dusting himself off, Barthal looked around, realizing he was inside some rocky cavern.. He took note of how the cavern was basked in a blue hue. He also heard a skittering sound. "I wonder. Is someone nearby?", Barthal asked, more to himself than anyone else. Squinting toward the sounds, he saw one of the simple minded creatures he had seen when climbing the cliff, the white one, purple milky eyes and all. He decided to add the first entry to that field guide. He took the book, the ink, and quill out of his bag, and sat on the stone floor. There he sat, sketching the creature on the paper and giving a short description: "_A white, segmented, simple minded creature. Little to no threat"_. The last thing it needed was a name. Barthal pondered the possibilities for a while before he chuckled to himself and wrote "_Clamberbab_".

Satisfied, Barthal packed up his book and writing supplies and continued on his way. Barthal soon learned that this place was ginormous. Everywhere he looked he saw paths leading towards places Barthal knew he may never see. Slowly climbing down a long, vertical tunnel, marking other simple minded creatures in his guide (a flying one with a trunk he called a "Muzznik" and a darker-shelled Clamberbab looking creature he called a "Crawlid"), he saw a path leading off from the corridor. He had passed a few other branching paths, but this one stood out to him because it had long, slimy vines and yellow curling leaves creeping out from beyond the entrance.

Intrigued, he jumped over to the path and walked down it. As he moved more and more into the tunnel, the smell of dying plants filled his antennae more and more, and the path would often be crumbled away in some areas, opening holes into pools of deadly acid. The walls were lined with vines and leaves, but these aspects of nature didn't give this place a feeling of life. Quite the opposite, actually. The leaves were drying up and looked like they would crumble to nothing if interacted with at all and the vines leeched a foul smelling sludge that clung to Barthal's cloak, forcing him to frequently stop and wipe the sticky muck off. "Whatever gave this place and these plants life", Barthal said, "It's been gone or dead for a long time".

As Barthal continued walking, the environment around him almost abruptly changed from being completely covered in dying plants to rough and soft dirt and multiple large entrances to other tunnels started appearing at the sides of the path, resembling a system of tunnels that some caterpillar-like bug would dig. What bug could make a tunnel this large, however, Barthal was clueless on. Not wanting to get lost in the seemingly endless network of tunnels, Barthal chose to stick to the path that still had signs of dying plants creeping out of the bug-made walls. That is, until he heard the distant sound of talking coming from one of the side tunnels.

Excited to have his first taste of bug-to-bug interaction, he started sprinting towards the voices. It was incredibly dark in this tunnel and Barthal could barely see two feet in front of his own claws, but he still ran on, the voices getting louder and louder. Eventually, clearing a hill, he saw light coming from a pair of lumafly lanterns, these lanterns each being held by a bug, one an adult, one a child, crouched over the corpse of a dead simple minded creature, its chest broken open and its organs exposed. The adult of the pair seemed to be teaching the young one, pointing at different organs of the dead bug and most likely explaining how it worked. Barthal watched this lesson go on in mild fascination. But when he leaned closer in an attempt to hear more clearly, his leg slipped and made a small stone fall, making audible clacking sounds as it fell. The two bugs stopped talking and the adult's head quickly turned to face Barthal. The bug turned to face his student and said "Atticus, run back to town, quickly! I'll take care of the corrupted." The little bug nodded, turned, and ran farther down the tunnel, their lantern bobbing further and further away until the light faded into the darkness.

After watching the light disappear, the adult bug turned to face Barthal and brandished his massive claws. "Hear me, corrupted one!", the bug shouted. "Approach me if you dare! I care not for the bug that once owned your shell or the mind you now inhabit! I shall cut you down all the same if it means that you will no longer walk this ground!". Finally getting a good look at the bug, Barthal felt somewhat intimidated by his threatening appearance. The bug wore a long, dark grey cloak. His shell was a striking shade of crimson, his horns resembling blazing flames, the back of his shell flowing seamlessly into a mane of crimson hair. His claws were the same shade as his shell, each claw serrated with sharp spikes, and even bigger than Barthal's nail. His four eyes were a blazing orange, which seemed like they could cut through the darkness as if it was nothing, making it seem like the use of a lumafly lantern would be trivial to him.

Finally finding his voice, Barthal held his claws up in an attempt to show the bug that he came in peace. "My apologies for ending your lesson, fellow traveler! I do not wish to fight. I do not wish to harm you or your student." "Lies! I've fallen for that before, your trickery will not fool me again, corrupted one! What do you take me for?! Some kind of halfwit?! ", the bug shouted. Then, without warning, he launched off the ground towards Barthal, drawing his claw back, ready to strike.

Barthal barely had any time to react and dodged to the left, just barely avoiding the bug's attack as he flew past and slammed into the wall, the impact leaving a large crack and shaking the entire tunnel. The miss didn't seem to deter the bug at all, who quickly turned and pushed off the cracked wall towards Barthal once again. Barthal quickly unsheathed his nail just in time to block the bug's attack. But the block didn't force the bug back, which would've given Barthal time to get his bearings, but rather the bug kept pushing against his nail, slowly forcing the blade closer and closer towards his face.

Barthal wasn't very good in combat when it came to strength. He always relied on his slender stature and agility to get the chin up on his foes. So in this situation, where a bug who's very much stronger than him was using strength to beat him, Barthal was pretty much helpless. It was only a matter of time. But then, right before the nail started pushing into his shell, the dream catcher symbol on his arm started glowing, pushing strength into his arms. The bug stared at the symbol in absolute awe. "He's a dream wielder…", Barthal heard the bug whisper. That's when all the strength coming from the symbol reached its limit. Barthal let out a strained shout as he simultaneously got up and pushed his nail forward, shoving the bug off of it and sending him flying into the air. The bug spun a few times before landing on his claws a few feet away and he stared at Barthal. Just then, all of Barthal's strength left him at once, and he swayed for a second before falling forward, unconscious.

_At the edge of the kingdom, inside of the Lifeblood Repose, Blue Child Sohra sat, deep in meditation. He speaks to his Lifeblood Lord. "You are not safe there, my child. The Silk Knight is coming for you", his Lifeblood Lord said. "I'm aware", Sohra said. "Then why do you wait?" the Lord asks, more out of intrigue and curiosity than anything else. Sohra chuckles. "Isn't it obvious? You flatter me so, but even I can see that I'm growing old. I've been here in this cursed kingdom for so long. And although it's been an honor to serve you, my time has come". _

"_I assume you have sensed the wielder's arrival, my child?". "You assume correctly, my lord". "And you're certain you want to take this path?" "I am". "Very well then. Good luck, my child". "Thank you, my lord"._

_As Sohra felt the connection between him and the Lifeblood Lord disappear, he opened his eyes and watched as the charm in the folds of his robes, Sohra's Blessing, fade to grey, losing its power over lifeblood. Sohra smiled sadly. He truly had enjoyed his time serving the Lifeblood Lord. The lord never asked for much, only for frequent communication and meditation, and if Sohra ever lost faith in him or wanted to give up his position, he would tell the lord before going his seperate way. Sohra felt that the Lifeblood Lords, or at least the one he had served, was the only higher being who truly deserved the title of "merciful". _

_Then, above him, he heard the sound of someone climbing down the pit that leads towards his repose. He knew that his time had come, and his knowledge was confirmed when he heard the bug hit the ground and the Silk Knight emerged from the corridor in front of him. _

"_Welcome, great knight. I was wondering when you would finally arrive", Sohra said to the knight, smiling at her. "Silence your tongue, heretic", the knight said, malice dripping from every word. "You have run from me and my fellows for too long. I have been given the authority by the Grey Prince to forgo a public execution and cut you down right where you stand". "Well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose", Sohra said, standing up and walking up to the Silk Knight, arms outstretched. "Then cut me down, old friend. After all I've put you through, I'd say you deserve it". The Silk Knight was at first stunned by the Blue Child's sudden passiveness and acceptance of their fate, but soon shook it off and said "We are not friends. All you've ever been is a pain in my side. I will relish this moment, heretic". Then within a split second she had unleashed threads of silk which wrapped themselves around Sohra and began choking them. But the Blue Child didn't try and fight back. They just hung there and gasped for a few seconds and before the Silk Knight watched the life fade from their eyes, she heard him say "Praise the lords…". The Silk Knight gave a satisfied huff, and left the prophet's body fall to the ground. As she did so, she heard a clink sound and saw a charm fall from the bug's robes. Curious, she picked it up. It was made of silver, and was jeweled with dark grey mask shaped stones. Pocketing it as a trophy, she turned her back to the corpse and walked out of the Repose and back up the pit. _


	5. A Quick Update

So to answer the question first and foremost, yes, I am still alive. I've been trying to work on the next chapter in the series, but the whole thing with COVID-19 has been really messing with my schedule, and I've lost access to a majority of the things that I use to write with. I sincerely do apologise for the amount of time I've been making you all wait.

Even though this is a confusing time for everyone, and although it is a frustratingly slow process, be rest assured that I am trying my best to get the next chapter out.

Hollow Knight: Cursed Dreams isn't gonna die! Stay safe, and I'll see you all as soon as the next chapter is ready for release.


	6. Chapter 5: A While Ago

**_Chapter 5: A While Ago_**

The cool breeze blew across Barthal's shell as he sat at the edge of the lake, leaning forward as he cast his fishing line into the clear blue waters. Drawing in a breath, he hooked the pole on a nearby rock and laid down on the ground below, closing his eyes to block the bright summer sun as he felt the rich green grass tickle the back of his shell.

Then, through the ground, he heard the pittering sound of small feet running towards him. Barthal chuckled as he heard the creature responsible for the pittering's shouts; "Big brother! Big broooootheerrrrr!". Barthal opened his eyes and looked up to the treeline behind him to see his little sister Krimya burst out from the trees and trip, tumbling down the short hill and stopping at Bathal's side.

Both Barthal and Krimya burst out laughing as they lay there on the ground, their voices even startling the crawflies in the trees, making them take flight. Eventually, Barthal calmed down and, wiping tears out of his eyes, asked Krimya "Are you alright?". "I'm okay! I'm okay!", Krimya said, wriggling her arms and legs around as she lay on her back, still giggling. "Now what did you come running all the way out here for, little Kimmy? I thought you hated this little pastime of mine", Barthal asked. "Ugh. You're talking like an old person again, big brother. And yeah, I do hate it, but I don't hate you", Isabelle said to Barthal, rolling her eyes at him. "Me and Marabelle were bored so we thought that-", Krimya's face suddenly shifted into a look of horror. "Where's Marabelle!?", Krimya shouted as she sat bolt upright and frantically looked around her. "I must've dropped her when I was tumbling!". Krimya stood up and started sprinting all around the hill, looking for Marabelle. Barthal looked around his general area and saw, in a small patch of grass, a rag doll with button eyes, one antenna, a head of golden hair, and a pair of small, embroidered wings. "I found her!" Barthal shouted to Krimya, who came barreling towards him, arms outstretched. Barthal chuckled and handed Krimya the doll, who pulled into a hug. "Gosh dangit Marabelle, you can't do that! You scared me half to death! We made a pact; no pulling shenanigans on each other!" Krimya scolded. Barthal chucked at his sister's words, "Well, that was a bit of a scare. Now how would you two like it if we just sat by the lake and relaxed?" Barthal said, motioning toward the rock his fishing line was perched on. Krimya looked at Marabelle and made her head nod. "Well… okay", Krimya said. Barthal walked over to the rock and sat back down, followed by Krimya, with Marabelle leaning over her arm. They both sat in silence, listening to the gentle sounds of the lake, before there was a jerking on the fishing line. "Hey, looks like we've got something, Kimmy!", Barthal said, grabbing the rod and beginning to pull.

Whatever was pulling on the other side of the line wasn't letting up, and Barthal couldn't pull it out of the water. "Hold on, we'll help", Krimya said, getting up, wrapping her arms around Barthal's chest, and pulling; Marabelle was squished in between Barthal's side and Krimya's arm. With the combined efforts of Barthal, Krimya, and Marabelle, they won the tug-of-war, and out from the water came a gigantic fisherfly. "Hey hey, take a look at what put up such a struggle," Barthal said, kneeling down by the fish and taking the hook out of the now flopping fisherfly's jaw. "Wow, this thing's huge. No wonder it was so strong", Krimya awed, holding Marabelle up so she could get a good look as well. "How's about we take this home and ask mother to cook this for dinner. Krimya looked up, eyes sparkling, drool already pooling out of her mouth. "Really?!", she said, voice full of excitement. Barthal hooked his rod around his arm and leaned down, picking up the creature's backside, "Indeed. Just help me carry this ba-", Barthal didn't even get to finish his sentence before Krimya had slipped Marabelle into her collar so that her head was still sticking out, picked up the other end of the fisherfly, and started practically sprinting towards their home. "Woah, hold on a moment now", Barthal said, laughing at his sister's enthusiasm as they ran back to their house, the fisherfly swaying in between them.

Barthal slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He was laying on top of a cot with a hot cloth resting on his forehead; someone had removed his cloak and hung it on the corner of a small dresser sitting beside the cot, he saw his nail and bag resting on the same dresser. Finally realizing that he was somewhere unfamiliar, he shot up, only to grunt in pain and lay back down, grabbing the cloth from his lap and resting it on his forehead again. His head was in agony. After the pain died down, Barthal opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was in a tent, but this wasn't a camping tent like the one he carried with him in his bigger pack. It was huge, without any open gaps or tears in the seams, a floor made of wood with a carpet laid out in the middle of the room, a stove, multiple other cots and dressers, even framed pictures hanging on the wall of a family of unfamiliar bugs. "Most likely the family who lives here", Barthal thought to himself. The ceiling, being the ceiling of a tent, was cone-shaped with lamps hanging from the highest point, although they weren't on at the moment. At the far end of the tent was a wooden door, one that somewhat resembled the doors on the houses of the abandoned town above. Without getting up, he unhooked his cloak and frantically reached into a certain pocket sewn into the inside, and after feeling what was inside, breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out an old doll, with little button eyes, a head of faded, but well-cared for, golden hair, a single antenna, and a pair of beautiful, multicolored wings. "What have I gotten myself into, Marabelle?", Barthal asked the doll, holding it over his head so he wouldn't have to move his head too much. Marabelle shrugged.

Just then, Barthal heard the doorknob on the wooden door jiggle and the door creaked as it started opening. Acting fast, Barthal carefully placed Marabelle back in the pocket, got up, and, pushing through the pain, grabbed his nail and unsheathed it, standing at the ready; "What have I gotten myself into?"


End file.
